Job / working environment : stress-free or challenging ?

neu4

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Jun 6, 2021
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I'm a young software engineer (25yo). I've been working for a large company for 2 years.

My current job is stress-less (I'm a needle in a haystack) ... but not really interesting and challenging.
It affects my mood. I considered studies and working as a huge staple of my life (always been very involved and interested).
Still young, it's wasted talent.

It is great for life outside of work but I'm wondering If a more stimulant job (startup company), maybe stressful would be beneficial.
 

golder

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May 10, 2018
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If you’re bored and have all the resources to expand, go forth and flourish. Many people here are much older and wasn’t wise enough to adopt this philosophy as early as you did. We now spend a lot of time trying to undo damage. Being bored and feeling like you could and should be pushing yourself is a phenomenal thing. Take on the challenge.
 

Summer

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Sep 10, 2019
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I don’t find stress beneficial in any regard other than to snap me out of procrastination (due to an approaching deadline). If you’re the kind of guy who can finish his work quick and especially if you work from home, I recommend using the downtime to start something of your own.

I also just want to add that having a stress-free, steady source of income is a huge advantage.
 

stressless

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Feb 25, 2021
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I'm also a software engineer. I find that I need to have a balance between challenging and easy/repetitive tasks. Too much of one or the other is stressful.

However, I do get what you're saying. Being bored and not being challenged at work is personally more stressful for me than having too much to do because the days seem to drag on foreverrrrrr when what you're doing isn't challenging. I find that when I have a fun project to work on, I'm more motivated to put in the work to manage my time better and other areas in my life seem to improve. I feel more motivated overall.

Of course, be careful what you wish for. Startups have a way of taking up a lot of your time if you're not careful to create boundaries. I've noticed that if I give an inch, they'll take a mile and I've really had to get good at saying no.

Two years is a pretty good time to have been at one company, why not start applying to jobs and see if any spark your interest? Angel.co is a good place to find startup jobs and it's where I found my current job.

That being said, I wouldn't discount having a stress-free job. It can be a means to an end to help you accomplish other things. Having a job like what you have now is ten times better than having a job where the culture is toxic, where people don't respect your time or boundaries, and where people do the bare minimum.
 
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neu4

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Jun 6, 2021
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I don’t find stress beneficial in any regard other than to snap me out of procrastination (due to an approaching deadline). If you’re the kind of guy who can finish his work quick and especially if you work from home, I recommend using the downtime to start something of your own.

I also just want to add that having a stress-free, steady source of income is a huge advantage.
Both jobs offer same income.
My current job allows me to work in a relaxed mood, and enjoy my life. And white coffee is free !


Maybe I had a biased opinion of software developer life.
Expectation : challenging, always new features to develop, new languages.
Trust : boring, not coding that much, essentially code issues to fix, old technologies.
 

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